


The David Rose Fan Club

by DelilahMcMuffin



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: A Gaggle of Middle-Aged Ladies, All the ladies love David, Book Club, David and Marcy Bonding, Did I mention Marcy is fond? She’s so fond guys, Did I mention tea? Because there’s tea, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Extensive over-tagging, Feelings Explosion, Fluff, Introspection, It’s so fluffy guys, M/M, Marcy is fond, Mentions of mild parental neglect, Parents being supportive of their children, mentions of baseball, there may be pie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:28:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21776815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DelilahMcMuffin/pseuds/DelilahMcMuffin
Summary: Marcy and David bond when the boys visit Patrick’s hometown. She’s kind of his biggest fan.
Relationships: Marcy Brewer & David Rose, Patrick Brewer/David Rose
Comments: 176
Kudos: 616
Collections: Schitt's Creek Open Fic Night 2.0





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> _Marcy had her monthly book club meeting that morning and invited David to join them. She felt a little bad for him - his only two choices were neither of them particularly appealing: sit on a cold, wet bench and watch his fiancé and future father-in-law play a game he didn’t like or understand, or stay here with Marcy and talk about a book he probably hadn’t read with a group of middle-aged ladies._

“Are you sure, Marcy?” David asked for the umpteenth time. “I won’t be in the way?”

“Sweetheart, it’s fine!” Marcy assured him yet again. “We’re always happy to have a new member… even a temporary one.” She laid the tray of tea and cookies on the coffee table and straightened up, placing a comforting hand on David’s arm. “They’ll all be very excited to meet you.”

David gave her a timid smile, but his brows were still furrowed with worry. 

After all the hustle and bustle surrounding their engagement and the run of Cabaret, Patrick had called to ask if he and David could come visit for a few days early in the fall. They needed a break, a chance to recharge their batteries. And Patrick was eager for his fiancé and his parents to spend a little quality time together. 

So all the arrangements had been made and the boys decided to shut the store for a week shortly after Thanksgiving. Today, Patrick and Clint had been invited to join an intramural baseball game down at the community centre. David declined to participate, claiming that his athletic career had already peaked, and it was better to go out on top. 

Marcy had her monthly book club meeting that afternoon and invited David to join them. She felt a little bad for him - his only two choices were neither of them particularly appealing: sit on a cold, wet bench and watch his fiancé and future father-in-law play a game he didn’t like or understand, or stay here with Marcy and talk about a book he probably hadn’t read with a group of middle-aged ladies. 

David had thanked her for her concern and informed her that a gaggle of middle-aged ladies was the least offensive choice, then screwed up his face and apologized for his inconsiderate choice of words. He needn’t have worried. Marcy had nearly wet herself laughing, recounting the story to Patrick later that morning. 

“We’re gonna head out!” Patrick shouted as he clattered noisily down the stairs dressed in a pair of sweatpants, a t-shirt and a hoodie. “Sure you don’t wanna come, babe? We could use a VIP.”

Marcy watched as David rolled his eyes, a faint blush rising on his cheeks and his lips edging toward one side. 

“Don’t make fun of me,” he protested, while his arms wound around Patrick’s neck in a practiced and comfortable move. Patrick dropped the bag containing his baseball gear on the floor with a thud and slid his hands around to the small of David’s back. How many times had Marcy walked in on them over the past few days in an embrace just like this? She’d lost count. 

“Never,” Patrick replied, his lips already on David’s, the word muffled in the mutual affection that was evident for any and all to see. “I love you,” he said softly when they broke apart. 

“Love you too,” David replied, leaning in for one last kiss. “Hit a goal for me.”

The fond look on her son’s face at David’s non-sequitur made Marcy’s chest ache with happiness. She had never seen him look at Rachel - or anyone for that matter - with such utter devotion, such reverence. She felt a small sob of unbridled joy bubbling inside her and she did her best to stifle it with a cough. She didn’t want the boys to think she’d been eavesdropping. Marcy focused her attention instead on straightening the tea-tray so it was in the exact centre of the table, and arranging the napkins and plates in orderly stacks on either side. 

“Come on, son. We’re gonna be late,” Clint said clapping Patrick on the back. “See you later honey. Have fun with the ladies, David!”

With that, Patrick and Clint were out the door, already arguing good-naturedly about the game, about the Jays, their familiar banter music to Marcy’s ears . The car engine started, and when she heard it pull out of the driveway and down the street, Marcy turned and smiled at David. 

“So, David… Have you read the book?”

“Um… you said it was ‘ _The Time Keeper’,_ right?”

“That’s right.”

David smiled shyly. “Then yes, I’ve read it. Or…” His smile morphed into a grimace. “Well, I’ve listened to it. To the audiobook. Does that count?” He twisted the golden ring on his index finger nervously. “Or is that… is that cheating?”

“Huh.” Marcy pursed her lips thoughtfully. “You know David, we’ve never discussed it,” she said. She shrugged her shoulders and gave David a reassuring smile. “I don’t see why it would matter. So no, I don’t think that listening to the audiobook is cheating.”

The look of relief on David’s face was actually quite touching. 

“Patrick said you’ve always got your nose buried in a book,” she probed gently. 

“Oh, I do,” David enthused. “I love to read. But… well I mostly read non-fiction; autobiographies, art histories… stuff like that -“He was smiling genuinely now, more confident. “- but one of our customers was gushing about the amazing narrator on this audiobook, so I downloaded it and Patrick and I listened to it at night before, um… before bed.” He flushed and his gaze darted away. A warm, fuzzy feeling rose in Marcy’s chest at the picture of sweet domesticity, the two of them tucked up in bed and enjoying something as simple as a good story together. 

“That sounds lovely,” she said, giving his arm a little pat. “Too advanced for me though, or any of us old gals.” She chuckled and was pleased to see David smiling fondly back at her. 

“I could, um… I could show you. How to do that,” he offered. “If you want. It’s easy. Even my mom can do it, even though she pretends she can’t and gets me or Alexis to help her.”

“Thank you, David. I would really like that,” Marcy replied. 

Just then, the doorbell rang. Before making her way to the front hall, Marcy paused beside David and placed her palm on his cheek. “They’re gonna love you,” she said warmly. She gave his cheek a gentle pat and went to open the door. “Could you grab the tray of veggies and dip from the fridge, David? Thanks!”

Within minutes Marcy’s living room was loud and lively, with the ladies all ensconced in their usual places around the room. 

“Someone joining us?” Beverly asked, gesturing to the extra seat set out beside Marcy. 

Marcy nodded eagerly. “Oh, yes! I hope you don’t mind… I invited David to join us this afternoon.”

The room went quiet and the ladies looked from one to another exchanging shrugs and confused glances. 

“Who’s David?” Sheila finally asked. 

“Oh, uh… Patrick’s fiancé,” Marcy clarified and the cacophonous caws of recognition and excitement were nearly deafening. 

“Oh, _Patrick’s_ David!” Linda exclaimed. “Oh, that’s so exciting!”

Peggy gave an annoyed little harrumph and peered at Marcy over her spectacles. “I’d have dressed up if I’d known we were going to have company, Marcy!”

“Especially -” Barbara began, leaning forward and whispering conspiratorially, “- very handsome company, am I right?” She nudged Karen on her other side with her elbow and they giggled in a way Marcy had never seen before. 

“We Googled him,” Karen explained at Marcy’s questioning glance. “When you first told us he and Patrick were an item.”

“Oh…” A lump had begun to form in the pit of Marcy’s stomach. Maybe this hadn’t been such a good idea after all.

“He is extremely handsome,” purred Donna from her place beside Beverly. “Patrick is _very_ lucky.”

Marcy bristled. “Well, he is also an intelligent, generous and thoughtful person,” she said snippishly, fixing the lot of them with a frosty glare. “Patrick _is_ very lucky, but not just because David happens to be an exceedingly attractive young man.”

From somewhere behind her she heard the soft sound of David clearing his throat. 

“Um… where would you like me to…” He nodded down at the veggie tray in his hands. Marcy felt her cheeks flush with the heat of embarrassment and she was about to apologize, but David gave her a reassuring little half-smile. “I’ll just put these here,” he said, setting the veggies down beside the tea tray. “Is this spot for me?” 

Marcy mutely nodded her head as David settled himself on the plump ottoman beside her. 

“Hi ladies,” he said, flashing a glittering smile at them all. “I’m David.”

More cacophony erupted as everyone clambered to introduce themselves first. David shook hands and gracefully accepted the winks and smiles from the ladies, each of whom was old enough to be his mother - his grandmother in Peggy’s case! And not a single one showed any qualms about openly flirting with him. 

To his credit, David was kind and polite, but refrained from flirting back. He simply smiled a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes and nodded at the overlapping comments and questions coming his way. It wasn’t the soft, shy smile Marcy had become accustomed to seeing when she and Clint Skyped with the boys every Sunday afternoon, or the puckish grin that graced his features when he and Patrick were playful with one another. And it certainly wasn’t that beautiful, fond smile that she’d only ever seen directed toward Patrick.

As the furor began to die down and people found their respective seats again, Marcy realized suddenly that at some point, this had been David’s entire life; sycophantic strangers falling all over themselves because of his money or his looks. She could sense the strain beneath his smile after only a few minutes. She couldn’t imagine the toll it must have taken on him to carry on like this for the better part of his adult life. 

She placed a hand on David’s shoulder and felt his muscles tense under her touch. It wasn’t a flinch, but it wasn’t far off. He glanced at her and she saw his eyes soften and felt his shoulder lose some of its tension. He smiled his genuine, off-kilter smile. _Ah, there he is_ , Marcy couldn’t help but thinking. _There’s the David I know._

She gave his shoulder one final, supportive squeeze and turned back to her book club. 

“So ladies, _‘The Time Keeper_ ’… what did we think?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!!
> 
> The book Marcy’s book club is reading is called The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom and it is a spectacular read. Even better is the audiobook, narrated by Dan Stevens (Matthew Crowley from Downton Abbey and The Beast from Beauty and the Beast). His voice is like _butter_. 10/10 recommend.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David and Marcy make pie. David has feelings. They’re contagious.

“Can I help?”

Marcy looked up from loading the last of the teacups into the dishwasher. 

“Oh, that’s okay, David. I keep things simple with these little gatherings - a few cups and plates. There’s not much to do, really.” 

David nodded, fidgeting with the sleeve of his sweater. “Okay. I guess I’ll just…” He gestured vaguely toward the stairs and turned to go. He seemed… disappointed? And it struck Marcy that David may have been looking for an excuse to be around her. 

“Do you like pie?” Marcy asked suddenly, although she needn’t have bothered to ask. Patrick had already informed her that David’s love of all things baked - pie in particular and apple pie most of all - was legendary. “I was thinking of making a pie for dessert.” She hadn’t been thinking anything of the sort, but she’d blurted out the first thing that had come to mind as something she and David could do together. Something they could bond over. Something that would make him happy. 

“I like pie,” David said, edging back toward her like a skittish kitten and pulling out a stool on the other side of the kitchen island. “What kind of pie are we making?”

Marcy smiled at the ‘we’ . Patrick had also told her not to leave David unsupervised in the kitchen. 

“Well,” Marcy mused as she opened the pantry to peer at her baking supplies. “I have the stuff to make lemon meringue, coconut cream, apple— “

“Apple!” David interjected loudly. She turned to look at him and he had the good grace to blush, grinning rather sheepishly back at her. “Apple… please,” he said more reservedly. 

Marcy nodded and began grabbing the dry ingredients from the pantry. “Could you get the butter from the fridge please, David?” she asked as she deposited an arm-load of dry goods on the counter. “It’s in the door. Oh, and the apples from the crisper.”

She heard the fridge door open while she sorted out her ingredients on the counter. David made a thoughtful little noise behind her. 

“Hmm…”

“Everything okay?” she asked over her shoulder. 

“Um… What’s a crisper?”

Marcy smiled to herself. _What must his life have been like?_

“The drawer in the bottom of the fridge,” she explained patiently. “Where we keep the fruits and veggies.”

“Oh,” he replied and she heard the drawer slide open then shut again. He closed the fridge and returned to his spot opposite her, carefully setting down the bag of apples and the butter. “I didn’t know it had a special name,” he explained hesitantly. “Sorry.”

Marcy waved off his apology. “No need to be sorry, sweetheart,” she said, and the way David positively glowed at the pet name made her heart swell just a little bit. ”Now, have you ever made a pie before?”

“Yes,” he answered, and her shock must have registered on her face, as he immediately began backpedalling. “Well I mean… n-not on my own. But I used to help. When I was little.”

“Oh, did your mother bake with you?” Marcy asked, surprised. In the brief time she’d spent with Moira Rose, she hadn’t gotten the impression that Moira had been much in the way of a home baker. 

“Um, not exactly,” David said. He was tugging at his sleeves again. “My nanny… our nanny - Alexis’s and mine - used to let me help her.”

“And did Alexis bake with you too?” Marcy asked. She watched as David’s hands all but disappeared up his sleeves. 

“No. She had friends to play with.” He said it so matter-of-factly; as if it were the most natural thing in the world that his sister should have had friends, while he had only the hired help to keep him company. He frowned and cleared his throat before offering Marcy a sad smile. “She was… her name was Adelina.”

“And did you bake together often?” Marcy asked as she got out a couple of mixing bowls, her measuring cups and spoons, her rolling pin and a pie plate. 

David nodded. “Almost every weekend.” His tone was wistful. “My parents weren’t around much, so Adelina was like, everything to Alexis and me. She drove us to school, helped us with our homework, took care of us when we were sick. Everything.”

Marcy smiled. “It sounds like she was very important to you.”

“Yeah. Yes. She was.”

David peeled the apples and Marcy began mixing the dough for the crust. She listened as he told her about Adelina. About how she had been the only real constant in his life during his childhood. And how, when he and Alexis had been sent to boarding school, Adelina had been let go.

“I came home for Christmas break and she was just gone,” he sighed. He placed the last of the peeled and sliced fruit into the mixing bowl with the rest of the apples and set his hands on the counter, a sad smile tugging at his lips. “Dad said there was no point keeping her around if Alexis and I weren’t home for her to look after.” He shrugged and shook his head. “I cried for three days straight. My mom said my ‘histrionics were ruinous to everyone’s holiday revelry’, so I stopped. God forbid I should tarnish their annual Christmas party.”

Marcy watched as David’s brows knit together and his mouth worked itself into a tight little knot on the side of his face. He blinked hard and his gaze darted around the room, anywhere but at Marcy. 

“That must have been hard,” Marcy said softly. 

David shrugged, his eyes still downcast. “It’s fine.”

A tear slid down his cheek and he brushed it away quickly. Marcy couldn’t imagine how it had been for him; to be so lonely and to have someone so important to him just disappear from his life. And then to have his feelings so casually brushed aside…

They stood in silence on opposite sides of the kitchen island, but it may as well have been an ocean. Marcy had no idea what to do. She wanted to go to him, give him a hug, but she wasn’t sure. Would he be receptive to that? She didn’t want to make him uncomfortable. 

Suddenly David pushed his stool back from the counter. “I just… I need a minute,” he said as he turned to rush from the room. Marcy listened as he pounded up the stairs, heard the sound of a door closing. And then Marcy put her face in her hands and cried

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for coming back for Chapter 2!
> 
> Let me know what you thought and leave a comment ☺️


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More feelings. And tea!

After twenty minutes Marcy had collected herself, wiped her eyes and blown her nose. After washing her hands she quickly finished making the pie, putting it in the oven and setting the timer. She made some tea and decided that the clean-up could wait. With mugs of tea in hand, she made her way upstairs. 

“David?” she called out, balancing the mugs in one hand and knocking softly on Patrick’s bedroom door with the other. “Can I come in?”

“Mm hmm.”

Marcy opened the door and peered into the room. David was sitting on the bed. He still looked a little shaken, but he gave her a timid smile. 

“I brought you some tea,” Marcy said, handing him one of the mugs. “Careful, it’s hot.” 

“Thank you.” He took the mug from her and set it on the book sitting on the bedside table. Then he turned to face her. “I’m really sorry if I ruined the pie.” He smiled ruefully. “It wouldn’t be the first time.” 

“No harm done,” Marcy assured him, sitting down on the bed beside him. “Are you okay?”

David huffed out a heavy breath. “Yes?” It was more of a question than a statement. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes. “I just… I haven’t thought about it in a long time. How miserable I was. How scared I was when Adelina left.” He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, taking his time to gather his thoughts. “I remember one year on my birthday; I was in a private club or something with my so-called  _ friends _ . There must have been at least a hundred people in that room with me, but I’d never felt more alone.” 

He glanced sidelong at Marcy, twisting the hem of his sleeves between his fingers again. “I was so scared of being alone - of being lonely - that I filled my life with people who… well, they weren’t  _ nice _ people.” He smiled to himself, obviously thinking of a happier memory. 

He finally met Marcy’s gaze, his dark expressive eyes shining. “I didn’t think it could be this good. I look at myself back then and I realize I had no idea what happiness was supposed to feel like.”

“What does happiness feel like for you now?” Marcy asked. 

David smiled wistfully. “It feels like… like making pie with my future mother-in-law.” Marcy felt the corners of her eyes prick and a lump forming in the back of her throat. “Thank you for not judging me because I don’t know what a crisper is.” 

Marcy smiled at him and nudged him with her elbow. “You’d have figured it out.”

“Maybe. Eventually.” He looked down at his hands, at the four gold rings on his left hand. “It feels like waking up next to a really good person - the  _ best _ person - every morning. And knowing that… that he loves me.” He shook his head, disbelieving. “I have no idea why, but for some reason he loves me. And that… God, it makes me so happy it’s terrifying.”

“David, Patrick has been talking about you - no,  _ raving _ about you - since the day you met,” Marcy said reassuringly, causing David’s cheeks to flush with colour. “Even before we knew about you two, Clint and I knew that you had to be pretty special.” She reached over to set her tea beside his then took his ring-clad hand in hers. “He loves you so much, David. Do I need to tell you all the reasons Patrick has for loving you? Because I can.”

“Oh God, please don’t!” David exclaimed, shaking his head vigorously. “I’d die of embarrassment.” 

Marcy chuckled, patting his hand. “Okay, David. Okay.”

They were quiet for a moment. David gave Marcy’s fingers a squeeze. “It was exhausting, you know? Always hiding how I felt. Always pretending.” He chewed thoughtfully on his lower lip.

“I can imagine,” Marcy concurred.

“I like that I don’t have to pretend here. Or when I’m around Patrick. Or Stevie. I even used to pretend around my family. It’s really nice not to have to do that anymore.”

“I’m sorry you had to pretend this morning,” Marcy said, contrite. 

David glanced at her, his off-kilter smile spreading across his face. He shrugged. “It was only a little. I didn’t mind,” he said. “Your friends were… nice.”

Marcy let out an indelicate guffaw. “Not as nice as you think.”

David grinned at her, a twinkle in his eye. “They were  _ very _ horny.” 

Marcy grinned and nudged him with her shoulder. He nudged her back. 

“Drink your tea, David,” she said. “Then come down and help me clean up the kitchen.”

David picked up their mugs, now cooled, and handed one to Marcy. He got up from the bed and held out his hand to help her up. 

“Did you know that my mom and I made enchiladas once?”

“Did you now?” Marcy asked, heading out into the hall, David on her heels. “And how did that turn out?”

“Not well.” She couldn’t see his face as he followed her down the stairs and into the kitchen, but she could hear the smile in his voice as he regaled her with their culinary adventure and ultimate failure. When he got to the part about folding in the cheese she had tears in her eyes again, but this time they were good tears. 

They were happy tears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are most welcome!!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patrick and Clint come home. There is tenderness. And teasing.

The dishes were done and put away and the pie was cooling on a rack set on the counter. David had gone upstairs to change out of his _day clothes_ into something more comfortable. Marcy was just wiping down the counter when she heard car doors slamming in the driveway. Moments later Clint and Patrick could be heard coming in through the mud room door.

“We’re home!” Patrick called out as he barged into the kitchen. He tossed his bag on the kitchen table and sat down to take off his muddy cleats.

“Patrick Clinton Brewer,” Marcy said sternly, “I just washed those floors this morning.” Patrick glanced down at the trail of dirt and debris he’d brought in with him and grimaced.

“Sorry, Mom.” He bent to untie the laces of his other shoe. “I’ll clean it up,” he promised as he stood to put his shoes by the back door.

“Thank you,” Marcy said, watching as Patrick got out the broom and began sweeping up after himself. “And please take your bag off the table.” She pointed at the offending item. “We eat off that table.”

“All hail the conquering heroes!” Clint exclaimed, coming in from the mud room where he’d left his shoes and gym bag, rounding the kitchen island to press a kiss to his wife’s temple. “Our boy hit three home runs this afternoon!” 

“Wow! It sounds like you two had a good time this afterno… _mmmph_!” She was cut off as Clint kissed her firmly on the lips. He grinned at her and she let out a little squeak when he swatted her backside as he passed behind her.

“Ew!” Patrick made a disgusted face at his parents. “Guys, I’m right here!”

“Oh, so it’s all well and good when you and David do it…” Clint teased, shooting his son a wink before he grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl on the counter and took a big bite. Marcy cast a sly glance at Patrick who was blushing and biting his lip, trying to hide his smile. “Alright, I’m gonna head up and have a shower,” Clint said. “Patrick, there’s an Argos game on tonight if you want to watch it with me?”

Patrick picked his bag up off the table and dropped it on the floor beside his shoes. “Um… maybe,” he said with a shrug. “I was kind of thinking it would be nice to do something together. The four of us.”

“David not a fan of football?” Clint asked with a knowing grin.

“Yeah, not so much,” Patrick replied. He glanced around the kitchen. “Where is David anyway?” he asked.

“He just went to get changed,” Marcy said as Clint finished his apple and reached around her to toss the core into the garburator. He pecked her lightly on the cheek then headed upstairs for his shower.

Patrick lowered himself into a stool on the opposite side of the island.

“So, how did it go? Your thing?” he asked, his tone cautious. “Was David… how was he?” 

“He was fine. Better than fine, actually. He was just lovely. All the ladies loved him.”

She could see relief flicker across Patrick’s face, there and gone in a flash. “Good. I’m glad.”

Marcy tilted her head to one side in question. “Were you… did you think they wouldn’t?”

Patrick shook his head vehemently. “No! Oh, no!” he said. “No, I just… I know he was nervous. He really wants you to like him.”

Marcy raised her eyebrows at her son. “ _He_ wants me to like him, or _you_ want me to like him?” she asked.

Patrick shrugged. “Both?”

Marcy reached across the counter to put her hand on Patrick’s cheek. His face was still cool from an afternoon spent outside in the brisk fall air. She gave his cheek an affectionate little pinch. 

“I do like him,” she said honestly. “I like him very, very much.”

“Thank you,” Patrick said, his eyes brimming with genuine gratitude.

“I can’t help but admire anyone who can wrap Peggy around their little finger, like he did this afternoon.” Marcy shook her head, thinking fondly of how David had charmed the always cantankerous elder stateswoman of their group. “Well,” she shot Patrick a conspiratorial little wink. “You know what a handful she can be.”

“Oh, I do,” Patrick chuckled.

“You do what?” David asked as he entered the kitchen.

Patrick grinned and turned on his stool, his eyes lighting up at the sight of his fiancé. David was dressed comfortably in a t-shirt and sweatpants, topped with what Marcy recognized as one of Patrick’s hoodies. 

She watched as David stepped between Patrick’s knees, his arms finding their way around Patrick’s neck once again. 

“Hi,” David said softly.

“Hi,” Patrick replied and leaned in to steal a kiss, tucking his hands into the front pockets of the hoody David had borrowed. 

Marcy turned her back to them, feigning interest in wiping down the stove top to give them a moment of privacy. She heard David hum appreciatively. 

“You’re all sweaty,” he said quietly and Patrick laughed. 

“I’m just waiting for my dad to get out of the shower.”

“It’s okay. No rush,” David replied. “I like it.”

Marcy cleared her throat, giving them fair warning that she was only going to tolerate so much friskiness from the two of them in her kitchen. She turned around and caught Patrick blushing, while David looked awfully pleased with himself. 

“Okay you two; knock it off,” Marcy scolded, but there was no heat behind her words. They broke apart sheepishly. “When your dad is out of the shower, I’ll get him to fire up the grill,” she said. “David, do you like hot dogs?”

David nodded eagerly. 

“Okay. I need help making a salad, and I was thinking we could also have corn on the cob?”

“Sounds great, Mom,” Patrick said. He nudged David with his elbow. “Nom nom for us, David!”

David rolled his eyes dramatically. “Eewww-ah!” he groaned with a grimace. “You are not allowed to go on vendor meetings with Alexis ever again!”

Marcy chuckled to herself, certain that there must be a story behind that little exchange. 

“Patrick, it sounds like your father is out of the shower. Go wash up. David, can you please get the fixings for the salad from the crisper?”

She winked at David and he grinned back at her. “I know what a crisper is now, Patrick,” he declared. “Your mom taught me.”

“And then I was thinking we could maybe do a games night. What do you think, boys?”

David’s face lit up, but then his mouth turned down in a frown. “But… we need six people for-“

“If you say _ultimate game play…_ ” Patrick warned, but that fond, loving expression was back on his face.

David threw his hands in the air. “Ugh. Fine. We can play with four people.”

“That’s very big of you, David,” Patrick teased. 

“I am very generous,” David huffed back half-heartedly. 

“Mmm… you’re a good person.”

“Oh my God, you’re insufferable,” David sighed.

“You love it,” Patrick said, leaning in to kiss David’s cheek. “Only you would think being called a good person was an insult.”

Clint came back downstairs then, and Marcy handed him the hot dogs and buns. He and Patrick headed outside to light the grill and David and Marcy were once again alone in the kitchen. 

“You don’t want to be a good person?” Marcy couldn’t help but ask as David got out the stuff for the salad. He shook his head and smiled. 

“Oh, no. It’s just… it’s a little joke between us,” he explained. 

“Ah.” 

They chopped vegetables in silence for a few minutes. “David?”

“Mm hmm?”

“I’m really glad we had today together,” Marcy said. David stopped chopping and put down his knife. He gave her a shy, half smile. 

“Me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Than you for making it all the way to the end!!! We made it!
> 
> I’d love to hear from you so please don’t be shy! Leave a comment end let me know what you thought!
> 
> Huge thank you to Rhetorical Questions for stepping in at the (literal) last minute to make some helpful suggestions. You are THE BEST!!!
> 
> If you’re on Tumblr please come and shout with me @delilah-mcmuffin
> 
> Until next time,
> 
> D McM


End file.
